Goat prank closes football field 6 months

Thursday

Oct 25, 2012 at 12:01 AMOct 25, 2012 at 1:36 PM

After someone released goats into Ron Greene Stadium last week, causing a mess and raising health concerns following a recent E. coli outbreak, Cleveland County Schools announced it will close the facility for six months to be safe.

Jessica Pickens

Burns High School isn't messing around.

After someone released goats into Ron Greene Stadium last week, causing a mess and raising health concerns following a recent E. coli outbreak, Cleveland County Schools announced it will close the facility for six months to be safe.

More than 100 people are battling E. coli symptoms following an outbreak linked to this year's Cleveland County Fair. One, a toddler from Gaston County, died.

Burns moved its football game against R-S Central last week to Crest High School as a safety precaution after about a dozen goats were released into the stadium as a prank.

Burns Principal Aaron Allen previously told The Star that the football stadium would be ready by the time the state playoffs begin next week.

But Cleveland County Schools issued a press release Thursday announcing the stadium will be off limits for six months.

“It’s inconvenient, but it’s better to be safe in matters like this,” said Donna Carpenter, the school system's public information officer. “We all are recently reminded of E. coli and the consequences that come from it. We felt like we didn’t have any other choice.”

State recommends closure

The state Division of Public Health recommended the stadium be closed, said Dorothea Wyant, director of the Cleveland County Health Department .

“The goats were released on the field overnight, and there is really no way for us to know where they were on the field,” Wyant said.

The six-month closure period was set because E. coli strains have the capability to live for up to five months. There is no approved disinfectant that would kill the bacteria in the grass and soil, Wyant said.

“Goats were being tested for E. coli but that isn’t really beneficial,” Wyant said. “Goats may be shedding one day, and not the next.”

School moving games

Carpenter said all of the schools have been cooperative while Burns relocates its football games.

Thursday’s Burns junior varsity game against Shelby was moved to Shelby’s stadium.

Any playoff games Burns hosts will be played at John Gamble Stadium at Kings Mountain High School. The Bulldogs are assured of at least one home game in the playoffs.

Girls soccer and track teams may be affected in the spring, but those schedules will be announced later, Carpenter said.

“There may be less revenue with the relocations of the games, but I can’t speculate how much the closing of the stadium will cost the school,” Carpenter said.

Burns administrators know who is responsible for the prank, but they are not releasing names or punishments for privacy reasons, Carpenter said.

Allen did not return a call from The Star in time for this story.

Reach Jessica Pickens at 704-669-3332, jpickens@shelbystar.com or on Twitter at @StarJPickens.

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